The Batterwitch
by Cedocore
Summary: Teesha Peterson has always longed to explore the world, go on adventures, and save princesses. Now that she's finally an adult, she can. Silly fanfic, not meant for public consumption, just for a friend.
1. A Chance Meeting

From a young age, Teesha Peterson was different from the rest of her village. It was the little things at first; her interest in horses, her refusal of toys, her quiet nature. As she grew older, however, it began to manifest itself in more obvious fashions. Archery, from horseback or on foot, became her passion. She could fly an arrow straighter than any man in her village, and with considerably more strength behind it, as well. Every attempt to curb her interest in pursuits deemed unfit for ladies failed miserably, and frequently resulted in bruised egos on top of bruised flesh. She was a force of nature, and when she told her parents it was time for her to go on an adventure, there was naught they could do but agree.

She departed in the wee hours of the morning, a knapsack on her back, along with her quiver and unstrung bow. Her parents slept, safe in the knowledge that she wouldn't leave until tomorrow; she wanted to avoid the fanfare and crying that generally accompanied moments such as this. Dolly trotted along amiably, as Teesha examined the forest around her. She was relieved to finally be free, able to experience the wonderful tales traders carried on for herself. The road lead on to a distant but reachable Pern, a neighboring country known for its capital, Myra(City of Light! City of Magic!). Myra(City of Light! City of Magic!) was a hub for explorers, wizards, thieves, and adventurers of all stripes, and was the best place to find a princess to save, a dungeon to explore, or any other such adventure she could lose herself in.

It was growing cold. She needed to find somewhere to set up camp, and preferably get a fire going. Teesha guided Dolly off the road, seeing a likely camping spot a little ways into the woods. A small pond lay there, and had clearly been used as a waypoint by many people. This made her rather nervous; she was alone, and it was much safer to be either awake or hidden in such a way that no one would stumble across her while she was asleep. Still, she couldn't quite convince herself to go off into the night to sleep without a fire. Giving in, she set up camp, gathering wood and building a moderately sized fire. Teesha scraped away a relatively clean area into the dirt a few feet from the fire, and curled up beneath her blanket, using her pack as a pillow, before slipping off into sleep.

Choosing not to find somewhere obscure to curl up was, of course, a mistake. Teesha awoke to a boot in her face, sending her tumbling perilously close to the fire before she managed to get her bearings straight. There were several people standing next to the pond, four men and three women, rough looking people who clearly hadn't bathed any time in the recent past, if ever. She fumbled for her belt knife, grateful that she hadn't bothered to remove it before her exhaustion forced her to succumb to sleep. She didn't have much of a chance against six bandits, but she'd be damned if she was going to go out without a fight.

The men and women around her wore dirty furs, most of which were either too big or too small for their owners. Their weapons were a pathetic assortment of old, rusted maces and axes, and kitchen knives. Chances were good these were refugees who had taken to thievery to get what they could not get through any other means, namely food and money. This only made them more dangerous, however, for their desperation would push them to do nearly anything to survive. Snarling incoherently, one of the women dived at her. Teesha sidestepped, flinging out her arm as she did, burying the knife into the chest of the bandit. The women stared down at her chest in shock before sighing and crumpling to the ground, as Teesha smoothly leaned forward and plucked the knife out of her chest.

The rest of the bandits screamed, launching themselves at her, and Teesha growled and flung herself forward, slipping right in between two of the incoming men. As she rolled, the hooked her quiver and bow, taking them with her. She strung her bow as quickly as she could, but before she could nock an arrow, one of the bandits was in front of her, his axe raised. Frustrated, she screamed right back at him, and suddenly, his scream was cut off. His head had disappeared, but she didn't stop to question it. She nocked an arrow into her bow, letting it loose into the neck of the next man. As she did this, the remaining two men were engulfed in flames. Teesha managed to get off one more arrow, finishing off the second to last woman, as the last woman disappeared into a sinkhole, which quickly closed itself and cut off her screams.

Silence. Teesha stood with an arrow nocked, unmoving, surveying the dark, leafy forest around her. Whoever killed the bandits had seemed to be helping her, but they had done it with means she had never before seen; magic, a powerful force not known to man except in rare situations.

"Show yourself, please!" She shouted. "You're making me rather nervous."

"Only if you promise that I won't end up with one of your arrows in my throat, girl!" Another voice shouted back from the woods - from where, she could not tell. "Have you considered that you make me nervous as well?"

Startled, Teesha realized she had been aiming her arrow into the woods, ready to shoot whoever appeared. She slowly lowered her weapon, but kept the arrow nocked. No sense in being careless. She heard the voice sigh, and soon saw a young man with messy black hair step carefully into the clearing around the pond. He was wearing robes, and he carried a long, wooden staff in one hand. The other held a very sharp looking sword, which he slid into its sheath as he approached her.

"Greetings! My name is Milo," He called cheerfully. "To whom do I owe the pleasure of this unexpected slaughter?"

Teesha inspected him warily. He had a young, boyish face that belied his combat skills, but the rest of him looked hardened, muscled and wary. He was not as carefree as he put forth. "My name is Teesha," she replied slowly. "It was you, I assume, who… helped me?"

"It was me. You're welcome for that, by the way. I don't normally stop to help NPCs, after all, but I only needed a little bit more experience to level up, and they just managed to do it for me," Milo said gleefully. He pulled a book out of, well, nowhere, and started flipping through it, an intense look on his face. "Now that I've hit level 5, I can finally get Fireball; Conflagration was getting a little useless. Oh, are you still here? What were you doing by this pond, anyway? Everyone knows it's a trap set by bandits. Every time some do-gooder clears them out, new ones just show up anyway. Best to just avoid it."

Teesha stared at the young man, confusion evident on her face. He treated her like she was barely there, mainly just talking to himself, until he started talking about the camping spot. "How was I supposed to know that bandits use this spot to catch travellers? I'm not from around here," she exclaimed angrily. "I guess I probably should have been more careful, though. Thank you for your help. I'm not sure I could have made it out without your assistance… although I certainly would have taken most of them out!"

"Most of them?" Milo laughed. "The second one would have gotten you if not for me!"

"I had a trick up my sleeve!" Teesha said, flushing. "I just had to wait for the right moment before I took him out."

"Yes, well if you insist. Anyway, I should keep moving. I need to get to Myra(City of Light! City of Magic!) before the week is out," Milo stated. "Good luck with, well, whatever you were doing…"

"I was going to Myra(City of Light! City of Magic!), but if you'll be there, perhaps it'd be better if I went elsewhere for now," Teesha said coldly. She was angry with this, this _boy_ who thought he could treat her as a child. She was angry that she had to find somewhere else to go; she had wanted to visit Myra(City of Light! City of Magic!) since she was a child!

"Or, you could come with me." Startled, Teesha looked up to see Milo looking at her thoughtfully. "I usually travel alone, but… I wouldn't mind a little company."

"Well, I suppose traveling with a wizard would make things safer, as long as you mind your manners," Teesha said haughtily. "What… what were your plans once you get to Myra(City of Light! City of Magic!)?"

"Oh, you know, a little shopping, maybe some adventuring," Milo said, his eyes twinkling in laughter at her ill-disguised interest. "Have you never been before?"

"This is the first time I've been more than a day outside of my village," Teesha said honestly. "I'm going to Myra(City of Light! City of Magic!) because I want to explore, to experience the world, to have adventures, not just live on a farm and raise animals. I want to do something important!"

"Well then it looks like you've found just the right person to do that," Milo said. "You're less of an NPC than I thought, aren't you?"


	2. Myra(City of Light! City of Magic!)

The silence as they traveled was beginning to wear on Teesha's nerves. Milo seemed not to notice, too caught up in his unwieldy tome to pay attention to anything else. His expression seemed frustrated, his eyes tight. Glancing up, he noticed her watching him. "What are you staring at?" He asked, annoyed. "I'm not going to grow horns or turn into an elf, so you can give your eyes a rest and look away now."

"I was trying to decide if you're half troll, or half goblin," Teesha replied thoughtfully. "Maybe it's both? There's no way, after all, that you're this ugly on your own. Has to come from your genes, and we both know humans don't get that horrendous."

"I'll have you know my parents were both very respectable humans," Milo exclaimed angrily. "I do not take kindly to your accusations of... oh, erm, you were joking?"

Teesha struggled to contain her laughter at Milo's display of outrage. "Yes, Milo, I was joking. It's something humans do when they spend time with each other."

"Yes, well… anyway," Milo stammered, trying to shift the subject. "Why are you headed to Myra(City of Light! City of Magic!)? You seem a bit young to be off on your own."

Teesha stiffened in her saddle, glaring at the man. "I'm an adult who is more than ready to do whatever I please. Myra(City of Light! City of Magic!) will help me on this path, whether the world is ready for me or not."

"That's not what I - nevermind," Milo sighed. "Did you have any plans for where you'll stay? Do you have any idea how much it costs to rent a room in an inn? Do you know where to go to start all these magnificent adventures you seem so intent on joining? Or did you just plan on stumbling into the city, easy prey for the thieves and guards?"

Teesha's expression crumpled as he went on, her anger gone, replaced with fear at her lack of knowledge, and therefore inability to plan anything. "I… will figure something out," She said stiffly, formally. "I will resort to hunting if I need to, at least until I can find an adventure."

"Or you could just ask for help, you stubborn woman," Milo said, exasperated. "I've lived in Myra(City of Light! City of Magic!) since I was a boy, and I know all the inns, all the adventurers, and most everyone of importance within the city. If you'd rather stumble around on your own, though, feel free."

"I would appreciate it if you would be my guide," Teesha said, trying to make amends. "You're right, I know nothing of the city."

Milo shook his head. "I know an inn, the King's Man, where we can stay for cheap. We can figure out where you'll go from there."

Teesha nodded mutely as they continued down the forest road in silence. She was beginning to realize just how unprepared she was. She hadn't even thought about where she would stay; just vague ideas about camping in the woods and living off small game and scavenged roots. Clearly that wasn't nearly as safe as she had thought, and would not be a viable option if she was traveling alone. Milo seemed willing to guide her to Myra(City of Light! City of Magic!), but he wouldn't possibly be willing to do any more than that. She would have to navigate the city on her own, but really, how did she plan to find an adventure? It always seemed so easy in the stories; everything came together perfectly. Well, she'd have to cross that bridge when she came to it.

The week-long journey to Myra(City of Light! City of Magic!) passed so slowly that Teesha was almost wishing for another bandit attack - anything, really, to relieve the monotony of riding. Milo was almost useless, too busy with his books, and when he wasn't reading, he was staring off into the distance, ignoring the rest of the world. She passed the time as best she could imagining where her adventures would lead her, but a pallor lay over her thoughts, stopping her from losing herself fully in her daydreams.

Her mood improved as they drew closer to their destination, and she was nearly bouncing in her saddle as the city came into sight. Myra(City of Light! City of Magic!) was no mere city. It was the capital of the nation, a crossroads for the entire continent's goods, foods, and travelers. Every guild, business, and organization worth mentioning had their headquarters in the city, and everyone who didn't desperately wished they did. Myra(City of Light! City of Magic!) opened doors you didn't even know existed, and trade flourished like never before under the guidance of the Council. It was truly a golden age, and Teesha was eager to be right in the middle of it.

They slowed well before they reached the gates, at the end of a massive, disorganized line of people and carts waiting to be admitted to the city. The guards keeping watch kept a sharp eye on the commoners, inspecting carts and taking "samples" from food being brought into the city.

"Are we going to have any trouble getting in?" Teesha asked, eyeing the guards warily. "They seem like they'd enjoy telling us we couldn't pass. Is this really the famous Golden Sword company I've heard so much about?"

"Don't let their rough manner fool you, Teesha," Milo warned. "They may look like a group of lazy thugs, but their prowess is so well known for a reason. When provoked, they are a fearsome group, and it does not take much to provoke them. No need to grovel, but be polite, and answer any questions asked of you quickly and simply."

Teesha took a second look at the guards with clearer eyes, noticing their clean, well-kept gear, and how their hands did not often stray from their weapons. She kept her eyes straight forward as they slowly made it through the gates without attracting attention from the guards; she had finally made it. She was here. And she had no idea what to do now.

Milo looked back, yelling impatiently for Teesha to follow him. She had stopped in the middle of the road, and people were giving her dirty looks as they flowed around her. She started, looking around to see him a ways down the road. She followed him, and he lead them to the King's Man, the inn he had mentioned before. From the outside it looked small, rather dingy and unkept. She eyed it cautiously before following Milo in, and stopped just inside. Like a worn and dog-eared favorite book, the inside was far different than the outside. A large, clean open area spread out before her, floor covered in clean sawdust, tables of varying sizes dispersed evenly, leaving enough room in between them to feel comfortable. A fire crackled inside a large fireplace set into the far wall, with a large portrait of a king mounted directly above it.

Milo was already standing at the bar along one wall, chatting animatedly with the barkeep, a portly man sporting an enormous, twirling mustache. Teesha followed him over, catching the end of their discussion.

"...dinnae care if you do have to sleep outside, yer not gettin' one bite out of me, much less a room, until ye pay yer tab!" The barkeep said angrily, jabbing his finger at Milo's chest. "I love ye like my own son, boy, but I can't let ye keep stayin' here without payin' up."

Milo opened his mouth, but noticed that Teesha had finally caught up to him, and quickly shut it. He pulled a bag out of his robes, counting out a fairly sizeable amount of thick, golden coins, before depositing them roughly on the counter. "That's enough to cover what I owe, and a week's worth for two rooms, one for me and one for my friend here, aye?"

The portly man's expression softened as he watched Milo count out the money. "Aye, that'll do. Enough for your meals while you're here, as well." He walked behind the bar, reaching down to retrieve two large keys. "Milo, you know your room. Care to show your friend to hers?" He asked, giving a small wink to Milo that he clearly did not think Teesha noticed.

Milo scowled and lead Teesha up the stairs to the side of the bar, walking past several rooms to the two at the end of the cramped hallway. "That one's yours," He grunted, pointing to the second to last door as he handed her the key. "Dinner's at dusk." He left her standing in the hall holding her bags, slamming his door as he stormed off. She heard the lock click, and turned to her own room, opening it with her key. It was a small affair, but cozy and clean. She had a bed in the corner, a small water basin on a stand, and a desk that she set her bags on. She noticed a door near her desk, and opened it to find a tiny room with some sort of chair in it, but the bottom of the chair was sealed off, and the room smelled funny. She closed the door, making a mental note to ask Milo what that was next time she saw him.

Speaking of Milo, what was going on with him and the barkeep? Teesha had heard him say he loved Milo like a son, but that only seemed to make Milo angrier. He had willingly paid, but she got the impression it was only because he didn't want to argue about it in front of her. She flopped onto the bed, her mind in turmoil, and drifted off into a shallow, fitful sleep.


End file.
